


Heartbeats

by Asselin



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Canon NPC Characters, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mirror Universe, it's mostly either fluff or light angst I swear, the warnings really misrepresent the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-01-18 20:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 100
Words: 12,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12395592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asselin/pseuds/Asselin
Summary: 100 days, 100 drabbles. An experiment in consistency.





	1. Day 1 - Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Since this is an ongoing project, things like rating and warnings are likely to change at some point.
> 
> Also, let's be clear, I'm terrible with tags. However, I understand that reading the tags sometimes gives the reader a better idea of whether they want to read a story or not, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be glad to take them.
> 
> Updates will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, unless something comes up.

They're both exhausted by the time that their son makes his greetings to the world--Anna from the labor, and Kratos from his near-constant vigil over their shelter. There's been no visible sign of danger, but the passing hours drove him regularly to his feet, prowling to and fro in the darkness outside to make certain that their pursuers were nowhere to be seen.

But now it's over at last, and Anna is cradling a squirming, slippery baby to herself. Through a sheen of happy tears, she giggles, looking to her husband.

"Look at him," she says. "Doesn't he look just like you? Our precious Lloyd."

 


	2. Day 2 - Complicated

By the time their Rheairds touch down on a snowy field, somewhere southeast of Flanoir according to Raine, Lloyd can already tell that something's wrong. Zelos hasn't said much since they took off from Altamira that morning, staying to the back of their formation without any of his usual aerial antics. And now even the air around him prickles with something dangerous, like a blind animal ready to attack anything that comes close.

For an hour, Lloyd juggles the decision of whether or not to risk being the target of the Chosen's foul mood.

But they're friends, right? It ought to be safe.

"Hey, Zelos..." he calls over the wind, slowing his pace to match the other's. "Is, uh, is everything okay?"

Wide blue eyes focus on Lloyd, caught somewhere between fear and anger, and for a moment he worries that he made the wrong choice. But it passes without a word, replaced by a wide, carefree grin. "Aww, you worried about me, bud?"

"N-no! You just seemed... kind of distracted."

"Uh-huh." There's one of those smug looks on Zelos' face, like he's seen through Lloyd's fib. "I'm flattered, really--and I gotta say, mother-hen looks good on you. You could have girls all over you with a little practice."

Lloyd flushes, too embarrassed to answer.

 


	3. Day 3 - Making History

"Say, Genis?"

"What?"

"What happens if we don't make it?"

Fabric rustles in the dark as Genis turns over in his bedroll, searching for a glimpse of his friend's face. "What if we don't make what? What are you talking about, Lloyd?"

"I was just thinking... you know, if something happens to Colette... what's gonna happen? Nobody's gonna remember that she gave up everything she had to save everybody else. She'll just be another Chosen that didn't make it." Lloyd's voice dips even lower, muttering, "Seems like nobody remembers the last one, anyway."

Genis sighs. It's way too late to be having a conversation, but he doesn't want to ignore his friend when he's this anxious. "Lloyd, it's okay. That's what you came along for, remember? To protect Colette. Besides, I'm here, and so's Raine. And..." His jaw snaps shut before he can say 'and Kratos too.' Considering Lloyd's feelings about the taciturn mercenary, it's probably best that he pretends he wasn't about to go there.

 


	4. Day 4 - Rivalry

"...Lloyd."

"What?" He bristles automatically at the mercenary's voice, sheathing his swords a little too roughly. If this is gonna turn into another lecture on his technique...

"Your defense needs improvement. Not to mention how sloppy your footwork is--"

Here it comes.

"I get it already, okay?" Lloyd shouts, his jaw aching from gritting his teeth so hard. "You're not my dad, so get off my back for once!"

For a split second, it looks like his outburst had some effect, like there's a chink in Kratos' armor after all. But then it's gone, and the old mask is back in place. "...You're right, I'm not. But you are a part of this company, and clearly inexperienced in combat--that makes you my responsibility. The Chosen cannot afford to have dead weight slowing her down."

 


	5. Day 5 - Unbreakable

"Mithos, let him go."

A predatory grin spreads across Genis' face, forced and unnerving. "Why should I?" he sneers, the voice lower, more threatening than his natural voice. It sends a shiver through Lloyd. "You can't release him unless I want you to, and I already have what I want. He'll help me recreate the world the way it should have always been."

"You--" Lloyd's jaw snaps shut. He can almost hear Raine telling him to calm down, that he needs to deal with this rationally. As long as Mithos is still in Genis' body, he can't afford to provoke him.

 


	6. Day 6 - Obsession

"He's just gonna do it again tomorrow, you know," Genis says as Lloyd limps back to the campfire and flops onto his bedroll with a muffled groan.  
  
"Maybe," the swordsman mumbles. "But just you wait-- one of these days, it's gonna be him on the ground for a change."  
  
The half-elf sighs. Stubbornness is one of his friend's best traits, but at the same time, it's also one of his worst. "Lloyd, Kratos does this for a living; he's not gonna lose to someone who only learned to fight so he could get to school and back."  
  
"Hey, you don't know that! I'm getting better all the time!"


	7. Day 7 - Eternity

Until he met Anna, time hadn't made much difference to Kratos. A few years more or less hardly mattered--another Chosen would receive the oracle, and they would either succeed or fail.  
  
He only becomes aware of time once he realizes how little he had with his wife and son. Anna was with him for two years before Lloyd came along. Three years after that, they're gone. He goes back to Cruxis like a beaten dog, the will to fight that she gave him now as dead as she is.  
  
Another fourteen years go by, numb like the four thousand before, and the time comes for the new Chosen to receive the oracle. He travels to Iselia on Mithos' orders, to lend his sword to the girl's company and assure her success.   
  
He doesn't expect to find Lloyd there, alive and calling someone else father.


	8. Day 8 - Gateway

Lloyd's footsteps echo through along the paths of Derris-Kharlan, as if he's in a hallway instead of walking along narrow bridges in the sky.

Everything sounds so... hollow here. Fake, like the angels that attacked them--winged dolls, actually, no spirit in them at all. Even they're keeping out of his path right now, or maybe they have better things to be doing. Maybe they don't see him as a threat anymore.

Maybe they already consider him beaten.

For the first time since he left Iselia, he's completely alone. The others are gone, lost one by one to traps that never touched him. They sacrificed themselves to make sure he would keep going, no matter what it meant for them

 


	9. Day 9 - Death

"Stop!"

A soft glow rises off of Kratos' skin, mocking Lloyd. He managed to fight his father to a standstill, to keep from injuring him fatally, and this is how it ends anyway?

_Stop it. You knew that when you came here. You knew he'd have to die to release the seal on Origin, in order to save the worlds. This was his choice, and yours..._

_...But damn it, I don't want it to end this way!_

A figure is coalescing above his father, almost human with four bladed arms and an aura of gold. Kratos, always so steady, is wavering on his feet as the lifemana drains out of him, offered up to the spirit that spent so long bound by it. Desperate, Lloyd struggles to take a step forward, his arm stretching out to the man--the angel--that he only just brought himself to forgive.

He's a half-second too late.

As the light fades away, Kratos sags, his knees buckling and dropping him to the dirt with a dull thud.

 


	10. Day 10 - Opportunities

"You should sign up, bud! Just think of all the chicks you could get if you win!"

"You're the _only_ one of us who even cares about that," Genis mutters, rolling his eyes with a disgusted huff. "Anyway, it's probably expensive, knowing you."

"Everything looks expensive to you," Zelos retorts, poking the little half-elf in the chest. "That's what happens when you live in the sticks."

"Iselia's not the sticks!"

Ignoring the other members of the party, Lloyd cranes his head back, taking in the massive structure. _This is all one building?_ he thinks. _It's almost as big as the castle!_

 


	11. Day 11 - 33%

"The odds of survival... are very low."

"If you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!"

Lloyd would be rolling his eyes, if even that much wouldn't make him feel close to falling off. He doesn't remember how Zelos managed to talk him into taking this narrow, icy path, but they're stuck together now.

The monsters that had been chasing them were gaining too quickly, forcing Genis to throw a few fireballs to slow them down. They'd done the job, but also brought down a lot of ice and snow from the ceiling. A good number of rocks, too, come to think of it. The debris made a pretty good barrier, keeping them from getting back to the others, and now it's just him, Zelos and Presea.

 


	12. Day 12 - Dead Wrong

"Colette, you can't just go disappearing like that..." Lloyd scolds, taking hold of her arm to pull her back to the inn. It's getting dark out, and Raine will kill them if she knows they've been wandering the streets so late.

Colette barely reacts to his touch, and a pathetic little sniffle cuts through the twilight as her shoulders hitch.

"Hey, what's wrong...?" He crouches down beside her, rubbing a hesitant palm over her back.

"I c-could hear them from the inn..." she hiccups. "They were in a w-water barrel, in a sack... I tried to get them out, b-but..."

Now that he's so close, he can see the tiny shapes cradled in a nest of canvas atop her lap, and his stomach plunges. Puppies, that's what she found--too late to save them, but she couldn't bear to leave them in the sack they were drowned in.

She sags against him, her head bowing over the tiny bodies. "Who could do this...?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, Colette...


	13. Day 13 - Running Away

"You're leaving?"

Lloyd's voice is a low, strangled thing, the way it is when he's trying to rein in that bright-blazing anger of his. Like Anna when she was upset, or in pain. Not for the first time, Kratos is thankful that nearly everything in their son is hers, not his own.

"Yes," he answers. It tells Lloyd what he needs to know. No more, no less.

"Why??" Anna's influence again; always so demanding, so determined to know everything. A child's inquisitive mind in an adult's body. He's missed it so much.

"I have to."

"Like hell you do! You could stay here, with us!"

 


	14. Day 14 - Judgement

Shimmering blue wings spread wide against the murk of the Tower's interior, illuminating Kratos as he extends a hand, his lips moving over familiar words. Feathers rain down from the ceiling, like dozens of fireflies.

Lloyd can remember when Colette did this. Raine said it must be a power only angels have, the power to call down pillars of light that sear anything in their path. Even the defensive techniques that Kratos taught each of them can't protect against it. Their only chance is to break his concentration and prevent the spell from being cast.

_Sacred power, cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls..._

They're not going to make it. Kratos is too good at this, dodging everything they throw at him without once breaking the incantation. As the light grows stronger, Lloyd has to back away, his eyes squinted against the glow.

_Rest in peace, sinners!_

It's too late. The spell is complete.

_Judgement!_

 


	15. Day 15 - Seeking Solace

It seems the Chosen took his advice, Kratos thinks as he watches her from the edge of the firelight. The others are already asleep in their bedrolls, but she's on her back, one finger tracing across the night sky as she counts stars.

He's still not sure why he said anything to her. His purpose is to keep her alive until she reaches the Tower of Salvation, not to coddle her. She won't be the Chosen for much longer anyway. If she can't find a way to occupy her time, what does it matter?

Except that he can still remember what was like at first, the irrational fear that came from not being able to do something as simple as sleep. He'd started counting stars, because why not? They were said to be impossible to number, but it wasn't as if he was short on time.

 


	16. Day 16 - Excuses

Lloyd stares, mesmerized, at the gloved hand that's been thrust under his nose. "Well, see... there's gonna be a little bit of a problem with that..."

Zelos holds up his other hand, a pretty good imitation of Raine's longsuffering expression on his face. "Wait, wait... Let me guess: Noishe ate the homework I gave you?"

"No!" Even he knows that's a lame excuse. And it's not like he needs one, anyway. "I just didn't, you know, do it."

"Again," Genis mutters from his position over the cookpot.

"We've been kind of busy!" Lloyd protests. "There hasn't been time to do all this stuff!"

 


	17. Day 17 - Vengeance

_Kvar is dead._

Kratos rolls the words over again in his mind, testing them. Strangely, they don't bring the kind of pleasure that he thought they would--more of a weary satisfaction, now that the battle is over. But for those few moments, the scorching heat of fury felt good. And having Lloyd at his side, just as eager for vengeance, made it even better.

The one who brought Anna so much misery is finally gone, scattered and forgotten like he should have been fourteen years ago. She's been avenged, at least in part, and for now that's enough.

His time will come eventually.

 


	18. Day 18 - Love

"Kratos!"

The angel is on his knees, trembling violently with every labored breath he takes. If he was pale after releasing Origin, he's as white as bone now. His fingers are clenched into the fabric at his collarbone, and in the gaps between them, Lloyd spots the red gleam of an exsphere. A Cruxis Crystal.

 _He took it..._ "Why did you...?"

_You almost died once already, why are you doing this for me?_

"Go," Kratos pants. His voice is unsteady but the tone is as sharp as ever. "G-get out of here, before--" A strangled groan breaks over his lips, and he curls in on himself.

The temors stop. Moments later, he rises to his feet, as smoothly as if he'd never been in pain at all. One hand flicks his long bangs aside, baring both dark eyes for Lloyd to see. They're cold, filled with a venom so unlike the angel's impassive mask.

_Because it's not him. Not anymore._

"Even you turned on me in the end," Mithos hisses, Kratos' face twisting in fury. "All because of one pathetic human boy."

 


	19. Day 19 - Tears

"You know Corrine would be really disappointed in you right now?"

Sheena jerks, scrubbing a sleeve across her face as if she hadn't been crying before turning on Zelos. "How the hell do you know? You barely even noticed him!"

The Chosen shrugs. "Didn't have to. You two were best buds, together forever, pinky swear and everything, right? How would you feel if it was him moping around and blaming himself?"

"It's not the same thing! If I hadn't screwed up--again--he'd still be alive!"

"Don't give me that. You'd be ticked if he acted the way you're acting.

 


	20. Day 20 - My Inspiration

"Aren't you scared?" Anna asks him once as she curls in close to his side. They didn't have enough money for a room tonight, so they're sleeping against the wall in a broken shed. Or she is, at least.

Kratos doesn't move, still and solid against her as always. "What would it matter if I was?"

"Well..." Anna ducks her head as her fingers find the hem of her skirt and begin to twist. He knows what she wants to say. _Am I really worth it? We already know I'm probably going to die anyway, is this really fair to you?_

 


	21. Day 21 - Never Again

At three years old, Lloyd still hasn't said his first word.

Anna shrugs it off, saying, "Don't worry about it. My parents said I was slow to start talking too--and that once I did, they almost couldn't get me to stop. What about you, though? I bet you started early, huh?"

"I... don't remember."

Not too long after, it finally happens. It's not much, just an excited babble that might be 'daddy' when Anna hands him over one afternoon. She breaks out in a broad grin, unable to resist a teasing 'I told you so' before beginning to coach their son on how to say mommy.

It's both the first and last time that Lloyd ever calls him by that name.

 


	22. Day 22 - Online

"Don't you ever sleep?"

"I HAVE NO NEED," Tabatha answers, toneless as always. "I CAN SHUT DOWN, IF I NEED TO BE REPAIRED, BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO MY WELL-BEING. YOU TOO EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I BELIEVE?"

"Yes," Colette murmurs. "I spent a long time without sleeping. It just... didn't feel like I needed to, anymore. I even tried--closing my eyes, laying down, but it just didn't seem to help. Things kept turning in my head, even though I didn't want them to. So one of the people I traveled with said that I should count stars, instead."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited to be able to post three chapters today, but sadly that means that there will only be two on Monday.


	23. Day 23 - Failure

"What the hell, Sheena?!"

The summoner crosses her arms, glaring at the Tethe'allan Chosen. "Me?! You're the one that just spat food everywhere!"

"Who cares about that? What did you put in these?!"

"I don't believe it..." she groans. "You whine for three days about how much you want fish, and now all of a sudden you don't want it anymore?"

Zelos' face screws up in indignation, and he shoots the riceballs on his plate a look of pure revulsion. "That isn't fish! And who puts octopus in riceballs, anyway?"

"I do, you stupid Chosen! And just so you know, you'd better eat those, 'cause if I catch you sneaking around our packs tonight looking for something else, you're gonna be missing fingers!"


	24. Day 24 - Rebirth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: the one where Martel comes back as Zelos instead of Colette.

"Mithos, what have you done?"

Martel is looking at him, her eyes--now blue--wide with surprise, perhaps even sadness.

"Martel?" He cocks his head, before catching on. "Oh, you mean your body. I'm sorry--it was the only one compatible with your mana signature. I had hoped for one closer to your old one, but..."

The system didn't work like that, unfortunately. It was a miracle that he'd been able to make one at all. Human genes are a tricky business, more so when spread over generations of breeding, however careful, and he had to take what came. He knows that.

But red hair and blue eyes really don't suit his sister.

 


	25. Day 25 - Breaking Away

In the days that follow, Lloyd spends a lot of time watching the sky. The others noticed, he knows they did, but none of them ever said a word about it. He's pathetically grateful for that.

He doesn't know what he would have said to any of them, anyway. What could he say? His dad's gone, taking Cruxis and their exspheres with him, and that hurts.

Dirk asked if he hadn't wanted to go with Kratos, but that wasn't it. He doesn't regret choosing to stay in the new world, but he wonders sometimes if it would have been so bad for his father to stay too.

 


	26. Day 26 - Forever and a Day

She sees him at the foot of the Tree sometimes.

The part of her that is Martel remembers him, and welcomes his presence. The Tree flourishes under the comfort he leaves in his wake. And even though they rarely speak, he keeps coming. Years have passed since she came into being, and she can count the number of times he's given her more than a brief nod on one hand.

He's distant and clinging at the same time, she notices, wanting to be near her for who she looks like and staying apart from her for who he knows she is

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cryptid Yuan captured on camera at last! I've only been trying to work him into one of these since the beginning... :(


	27. Day 27 - Lost and Found

"Zelos?"

He turns, pasting on the same fake grin he's been using ever since he learned what it could do for him. Figures. He finally confesses to being a self-serving jerk, gets everything out in the open... and he still can't really be honest with Lloyd. "Yeah, bud? Something I can do for you?"

"I didn't get to tell you when it happened, but... I'm glad you're back." The kid's eyes bore into him, wide and guileless. Man, he probably didn't even know what guile looked like before his own father turned on him.

"Sure you are!" Zelos chirps. "What would you do without me, right?"

"I'm serious." Lloyd's expression is solemn. "I don't know if you really meant all that stuff you said--if I had to guess, I'd say you probably did. Maybe you even meant to go through with it. But you came back for us, and got the aionis--none of us could have done that. You made the right choice, when it came down to it, and I'm glad."

The grin slips. Is he serious? "You don't mean that."

"Yeah, I do. I mean--while we were traveling, every time I talked to you, it felt like we were just pushing you further away, and I couldn't understand why. I tried so hard to figure you out, but it was like you didn't want me to know anything."

"Probably 'cause I didn't. Makes it kind of hard to be a spy when your mark knows all your dirty secrets, you know?"

 


	28. Day 28 - Light

"Hey, you make a pretty good flashlight, Colette," Zelos comments, tossing her a wink and a lazy grin.

"Umm, thanks?" She smiles in return, clueless, her wings fluttering bashfully. The low aura they project during the day is nothing compared to their glow at night, allowing their party to travel for a few more hours before setting up camp. "I'm just glad I can help out."

"Sure you are! That's our cute little Colette for you, always ready to help out us poor lowly mortals!"

A flicker of anxiety passes over her face. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

“Nah, it's okay, I know what you meant. You're just really that nice, right?”

 


	29. Day 29 - Dark

"Colette?" Lloyd gropes through the darkness, his heart hammering. Raine told them not to let go of one another, how did they get separated? Her hand was in his just a second ago! "Colette!"

"It's okay, I'm here," she says, a moment before another flash of lightning lights up the walkway. She's still behind him, but on the opposite side from where she was before.

He lets out a breath. "You dork... we're supposed to stay together, remember?"

"Yeah, of course," she says with a little embarrassed giggle. "I'm still holding on to you, see?" Something tugs at the back of his jacket--her hand, curled tight into the fabric.

 


	30. Day 30 - Faith

"You're nuts if you think I'm going to help you after what you did!"

"Sheena--" Regal starts, and that tone is very distinctive. He's _arguing with her_. Regal Bryant, one of their group's voices of reason, is actually trying to make her back off.

No way is she letting that happen. "So now you're defending him, too?"

"No, he's not," Zelos sighs, shooting a look at Regal. "I screwed up, I know that--what else is new? But Lloyd's going to die if he runs into Mithos on his own, exsphere or not. He needs all of you with him in order to win, and I can get you there past the traps." He smiles, a pale shadow of his overconfident grin. "Besides, there's something that I've gotta bring him anyway. So just trust me for a little bit, okay?"

 


	31. Day 31 - Colors

"This is all kinda new for me," Lloyd says, leaning over the balcony railing and looking down at the throng of guests below. Here and there, he can pick out his friends from the rainbow of different outfits, all mingling to some degree and looking strangely natural in their borrowed clothes.

Zelos hums thoughtfully. "I guess it would be new to you country kids, huh? This was an 'every other week' kind of thing for me, before you guys showed up."

"Do you miss it?"

"Hah. Are you kidding? Having to be nice to a bunch of old fossils, pretending I don't know they're just sucking up 'cause I'm the Chosen? Slogging through the Gaoracchia Forest was more fun."

 


	32. Day 32 - Exploration

"Sis, come on, it's time to go..." Genis sighs as he gives a tug on Raine's cloak.

"But there's so much here I haven't gotten a chance to study yet! Just think of the answers you could find in a temple like this!" The older half-elf pauses, her eyes focusing as something apparently occurs to her. "Of course! It's so simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it before! Sheena, summon Shadow!"

"Y-you know, I'd love to, but... um, it's a little early, don't you think? I mean, we only just made the pact, I don't want him thinking I'm gonna be that kind of pact-holder."

"But this is his temple--he might have the answers to my questions!

 


	33. Day 33 - Seeing Red

There's so much blood.

Zelos finally stumbles, sword clattering to the floor as his knees give out. Around him, the corpses of his one-time companions begin to cool, their blood drying in tacky splashes on the glass.

He doesn't regret any of it. This was for him and Seles, in order to pass on the role that they both would have preferred to be hers in the first place. Lloyd only stood in the way of that, with his soft-hearted idealism and his claims of trust and faith--claims that turned out to be hollow.

_Zelos... can I trust you?_

He'd gone back to Kratos after all, even after all the man had done to him--and more importantly, to Colette.

 


	34. Day 34 - Shades of Gray

Lloyd sways dangerously, barely managing to catch himself on a nearby boulder before he goes sprawling in the dirt. The heaviness in his eyelids is turning everything into the same dull murk, distinguishable only by what's moving and what isn't. At least he knows the monsters are already dead.

_Nobody said anything about the things in Latheon Gorge being this poisonous..._

Someone's tugging at his shoulder, but he can't find the energy to face them. Sleep sounds really good right about now, but even with his brain this muddled, he knows it would be a really bad idea.

_Wonder where the Professor is, anyway... She's usually already healing us by now...._


	35. Day 35 - Forgotten

"I don't actually remember Mom very much," Lloyd admits softly as they stand together on the snowy balcony. "I guess I was too little, but it still feels kind of like I let her down, you know? Like I should've held on to more of her than just this." The exsphere on his left hand glitters as he raises it.

"I think she'd be glad you kept it," Kratos tells him. "She sometimes used to say it was only fair if she kept it, since she was the one who had put in the effort."

Lloyd grins. "Was that what she was like?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this and the previous chapter a day late because I got the notice of maintenance too late to post on Friday...


	36. Day 36 - Dreamer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be taking a short break from this fic (my muse went into hibernation on me, sadly.) But I'll do my best to catch up on what I've missed so far and start posting again next week!

"Honestly, I thought you were kind of a moron at first."

"Wow, that's harsh," Zelos laughs. "Not really surprising, though--I mean, the feeling was mutual. Far as I was concerned, you were a dumb hick kid from Sylvarant who thought he could waltz in and just change everything."

"And? What do you think now?"

The Chosen shrugs dismissively. "Eh, approximately the same thing." The sentiment is harsh, but he's still grinning, a note of friendly teasing in his voice. "But somewhere along the line, I kinda started hoping that you could. It'd be nice to see someone show Cruxis a thing or two for once."


	37. Day 37 - Mist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! I'm about a week behind right now, so I'll be working overtime to make up for it.

"I bet you've done this lots of times."

Despite knowing what Lloyd means, Sheena can't resist giving him a teasing grin. "Pretty sure it's my first time riding a Summon Spirit-propelled EC on the water."

True to form, he flushes with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. "I meant sailing."

"Oh, that? Nope, this is my first time."

He looks shocked. "Really?"

"Well, I mean, I've sometimes been on little two-man fishing boats back home, but nothing you'd call sailing. The Tethe'alla bridge means a lot of people don't ever have to bother with ships unless they want to."

"Oh."

"But this is pretty good, if a little more... damp than I was expecting."

 


	38. Day 38 - Burning

"Guess this means... angels don't get sick, huh..."

Colette smiles, but her heart isn't in it. "I guess not."

Lloyd's glassy, fever-bright eyes scan her face one more time before he squeezes them shut with a low moan. "I'm so hot..."

Not for the first time, Colette wishes that Raine were there to help. But their teacher is as sick as Lloyd is right now--and so is Genis. Only she and Kratos are still healthy, and even between the two of them, they know very little about treating diseases.

"You're... 'kay 'cause you're... angel..." Lloyd mumbles suddenly, startling her. "Least that's a... plus... I guess...."

 


	39. Day 39 - Out of Time (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mirrorverse AU where Martel is Sylvarant's Chosen.

_I'm sorry,_ Martel writes as they sit on the porch of Hima's tiny inn. Her finger glides over Mithos' palm slowly, her face ducked so low he can't see it through the fringe of her bangs.

"For what?" he asks.

_Bringing you out here, so far from home. You deserve to be safe._

The idea that Martel would need to apologize for anything, much less that, never even crossed his mind. "You deserve way more than I do, after going through all this," he says. "Lots of people would've given up a long time ago, but you still want to help everyone, even if you're hurting."

She smiles weakly, reaching out her free hand to ruffle his hair. _But I'm going to go away tomorrow, doesn't that bother you?_

"A little, I guess. But I just have to be patient and wait for you to come back. You promised to tell me all about what it's like in the Tower, remember?"

She falters. _...Of course._

 


	40. Day 40 - Knowing How

"Whoa, hold your horses there a sec," Zelos chuckles, plucking the book from Genis' hands. "I think that one's probably a little advanced for you."

The half-elf scoffs. "You wish!"

"What, you're gonna tell me that you, a little hayseed, can read angelic?"

"That's right!"

"It's true," Colette pipes in, looking up from her own book. "We taught him some of it back in Sylvarant."

The other Chosen's eyes narrow incredulously. "We? Don't tell me Lloyd knows it too, 'cause that'd just be weird."

"Hey!"

Colette hesitates, suddenly realizing what she'd opened herself up to. "N-no, it was... me and Kratos."

 


	41. Day 41 - Fork in the Road

"Sorry 'bout this, Lloyd."

Zelos doesn't sound very sorry at all, even after admitting his betrayal. His face is serene, like the angel he's a step away from being, and his strikes haven't hesitated once.

Lloyd grits his teeth as their blades meet again. "Zelos, stop," he commands–but he isn't commanding. He's begging. "I don't want to have to kill you." Call him weak, naïve... but in spite of what the Chosen has done, to them and to Colette, he still doesn't want that.

Zelos scoffs, the sound barely audible over the sounds of their battle. "Give me one good reason to stop."

"I--" What can he say that he hasn't already said?

 


	42. Day 42 - Start

Kratos initially offers to train Lloyd as a way to make sure he can pull his own weight in battle. The boy's form, as it stands, is passable but clumsy. The two-blade style he uses certainly doesn't help matters--his reasoning behind it being so bizarre that he's off on another tangent before Kratos can formulate a suitable response.

Needless to say, Lloyd makes a difficult student, worth more than a few exasperated sighs.

But as their journey progresses, Kratos begins looking forward to their next session. It's a good excuse to spend time with his son, learning fragments of the childhood he never would have had with his own parents, observing the person he's become without them.

 


	43. Day 43 - Nature's Fury

"I told you that you shouldn't have eaten those mushrooms!" Genis groans, ducking out of the way of another cloud of toxic spores.

"How was I supposed to know?" Lloyd complains. "Who even checks mushrooms for signs of life?"

"If you'd listened to me when I told you not to eat them, it wouldn't have been a problem!"

"What, so now you're a mushroom expert?"

"Mycologist!"

"Whatever!"

"Both of you, enough!" Raine barks. A blast of pure light knocks the vengeful sentient mushroom back a few steps, allowing them the space to regroup. "If you're going to behave like small children, then get out of the way and let adults handle this! Otherwise, shut up and concentrate!"

 


	44. Day 44 - At Peace

"Thank you..."

Kratos' eyes widen. "Anna?" Blood is pouring over his sword hand, loosening his grip on the hilt protruding from her abdomen, but she's still conscious. Still alive.

She laughs, low and gentle. One of her mutilated, clawed hands covers the back of his head, cradling him to her. "I'm sorry I had to ask you for this... Never should've happened..."

"Anna--" As long as she's alive, there might still be a chance. He needs to heal her, now, before she loses any more blood. But he can't remember even a word of the incantation.

"It's okay..." she breathes. "Take care of Lloyd for me... Goddess knows, he's gonna need you more than ever, without me around..." Her muscles spasm briefly, curling her around him. "I'll be okay, don't worry... We didn't get as much time as I'd like, but it was a lot more than I should've gotten... I have no regrets..."

 


	45. Chapter 45 - Heart Song (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 2)

Once, when he's very small, Mithos asks his sister, "When you go to heaven, you'll take me with you, right?"

She smiles, slow and beatific. To him, Martel's smile has always been evidence enough that she's descended from angels. "Oh, Mithos," she sighs. "I wish I could, but it doesn't work that way."

"Why not?" Where Martel goes, he goes--it's always worked that way, so why should this be any different?

"I don't know. But don't you think it'd be nice to see the regenerated world? Nobody will have to worry about the ranches anymore, and maybe Mother and Father will even let you play outside the village."

"But you'll be lonely! I don't care about playing outside if you don't get to go outside too!"

“But I want you to,” she murmurs, her fingers carding through his hair. “I want you to do all the things that you haven't gotten to do. And all that time, I'll be watching you from heaven, so don't worry about me, okay?”

 


	46. Day 46 - Reflection

"Uh... is there something on my face?"

"No," Kratos replies, forcing his attention back to his own wet clothing. "It's nothing." A lie, and a poor one at that. But it's not as if he can tell Lloyd that he was thinking of how much he resembles his father when his hair is wet like this. The rain plastered it close to his skin, and now that it's been toweled dry, it sticks up in ragged spikes, making them nearly perfect mirror images of each other.

The realization is both gratifying and disturbing.

Lloyd cocks his head like a bird, obviously confused. "You sure? 'Cause you seem pretty out of it."

"I said it's nothing."

 


	47. Day 47 - Perfection

"C'mon, nobody's perfect."

"Except you," Lloyd mutters. He hasn't known Tethe'alla's Chosen for very long, all things considered, but he already knows how this game is played.

But to his surprise, Zelos sobers, all the exaggerated cheer fading out of him. "What, are you kidding? Hah. I may look good on the surface, but believe me, I've got nothing on you."

"What, 'cause you hit on girls a lot?"

He chuckles. "That's... not quite what I was thinking of. Guess it's not really a positive mark on my record, though."

"Then what?"

"Nah, you know what? Forget I said anything. Let's just say that there are a lot of people who've screwed up at least as bad as you, so don't go thinking you're special."

 


	48. Day 48 - Everyday Magic

Colette's an unusual child, and always has been; Raine knew that much the first time they met. Observing her only corroborates the assumption. She's the poster child for contradictions--exuberant but polite, strong-willed but easy to persuade, ladylike but just as eager to play at swords with Lloyd.

With so much responsibility placed on her shoulders at such a young age, she could easily have cut herself off from the world. But the first time that Lloyd fought off a group of children who were tormenting Genis, it was Colette who swooped in afterwards to make sure they were both okay. She acts almost as a mother to a pair of boys who have none of their own, and thrives for it.

 


	49. Day 49 - Umbrella

Thick cloth suddenly envelops Genis, breaking through the driving rain and restoring a little of his lost body heat. "We really need to get you a coat the next time we're in town," Raine sighs.

"R-Raine!" he yelps, blinking streams of water out of his eyes. "This is your coat!"

The look she gives him in reply says 'I know that, thank you.' The rain has already begun to soak through her shirt and make it cling to the skin beneath, but she doesn't seem to care. "You'd better keep that on. There's no sense in both of us being wet."

 


	50. Day 50 - Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway there!

"May I have this dance, Miss?"

Colette giggles. "You're funny, Zelos."

"Aww, you sure know how to break a guy's heart, Colette!" the other Chosen complains, straightening out of the deep bow he'd assumed. For the first time, he looks the part, white and green fabric making a bold contrast to the scarlet braid draped over his shoulder. It looks... natural on him, almost more than the pink and white he always wears so easily. In comparison, she feels awkward in her borrowed dress, knowing that this is the only way she'll ever get to wear something so expensive.

They must make quite the sight, she thinks–two Chosens, the elegant Tethe'allan beside the clumsy Sylvaranti. Almost like a reflection of their native worlds.

 


	51. Day 51 - Troubling Thoughts

Even after the others return to Hima's inn, Kratos remains atop the mountain overlooking the Tower of Salvation. Possibilities turn over themselves in his mind, as restless as he is.

They've finally arrived at the end of their journey. This will be the Chosen's last night in Sylvarant, and if she doesn't end up as another number in a long list of failures tomorrow, Martel will take her place. Everything that was Colette Brunel will be gone, as if she never existed.

_And Lloyd will never look at you again with anything but hate._

The thought is more sobering now than it was at the beginning, when they set out from Iselia. Despite himself, he's grown fond of the brash, naive boy that his son has become, and losing him all over again will be hard.

 


	52. Day 52 - Stirring in the Wind

"You know, I'm kind of starting to think that you guys are tougher than I gave you credit for," Zelos mutters as they leave Asgard and head for the Balacruf Mausoleum.

Lloyd gives him a sidelong look. "What? Why?"

"Why?" the Chosen echoes incredulously. "I'm sorry, did you somehow manage to miss the giant sandbox and the wind tunnel?"

"...Uh, what are you talking about?"

"I believe he means Triet and Asgard," Raine interjects. "Tethe'alla doesn't appear to have any major geographical anomalies, aside from the northeastern island of Flanoir. In contrast, however, Sylvarant has several locations that are noted for their difference in climate."

 


	53. Day 53 - Future

"So what are you going to do now?"

Zelos chuckles, low and without much humor. "Well, little sis, it turns out that your good for nothing brother's going on a journey. I'm gonna help Lloyd collect exspheres, and make sure nobody ever uses them again."

"That's... quite an undertaking," Seles muses softly.

"Don't I know it. ...And what about you? What are you gonna be doing, now that you don't have to stay in the abbey anymore?"

She shrugs. "There aren't many choices, and it's not as if I have any money. Just finding somewhere to live will take a miracle, but I suppose I should be thankful even for that much."

"Well, you know..." Zelos hesitates, feeling his face heat. He should've known that being around Lloyd for so long would have turned him into a sap. "My place in Meltokio's kind of empty right now, and I'm not gonna be going back for a while... Sebastian's probably getting pretty lonely, besides, so... if you wanted to stay there, I guess it'd be okay."

Seles flushes a little herself, her hands clenching in her lap. "Well--"

"Or if you'd rather not, I could give you enough money to go someplace else. Half of what I've got's yours by right anyway."

"I'll... think about it."

 


	54. Day 54 - Health and Healing

"Lloyd Irving, you are one of the most reckless people I've ever met," Raine says, followed by a deep sigh. "It's lucky that Zelos and Regal know some healing arts--I couldn't possibly have enough mana to fix all of this on my own."

"It's not that bad," Lloyd protests, squirming in place as she examines the gashes left by the sword dancer. "And he's not gonna be bothering anyone now, so that means it worked out okay, right?"

"I suppose... But that wasn't what I meant. My point is that you dragged Colette into a battle that neither of you were sufficiently prepared for. Not only that, but you brought Genis and Sheena into it as well. It was, as I said, reckless, and could have gotten all of you killed."

 


	55. Day 55 - Separation

When Anna's spirit first awakes inside the exsphere, she's overjoyed. She'd died in so much fear of what would happen to Lloyd without her. Like this, though, she can feel his consciousness against hers and reassure herself that he's safe, even if she can't touch him in return.

She feels it as he grows up in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, his mind only still when he's sleeping. The friends he has make him light up inside, bright with warmth and pleasure. There are darker moments, too, and it's those times that she misses being able to cuddle him close and pet his hair like she did when he was small. 

 


	56. Day 56 - Everything For You (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 3)

"Martel...?"

"Don't touch her," Yuan warns, catching Mithos by the wrist before he can tug at her sleeve like he did when they were younger. "We don't know for certain how she'll react to you."

Mithos doesn't answer, letting his glare speak for him. Yuan knew that Martel wasn't coming back, that she was going to become this, and he kept it a secret. He can't be trusted anymore.

"Mithos."

He glances over his shoulder, meeting Kratos' eyes from across the room. "You knew too, didn't you?"

"Yes." Calm, matter-of-fact. Exactly what he'd expect from his tutor.

"Martel asked us not to mention what would happen at the end of the journey," Yuan says. "She said you made her want to forget her duties for a little while. She wanted to pretend for you, to keep you from worrying."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I do this AU too many more times, I'll need to make it a work of its own.


	57. Day 57 - Slow Down

"Raine! Raine, come quick!"

All of her senses come to life at the panic in Genis' voice, and she drops her book to the table, rushing to the door, where he's leaned over, hands on his knees as he tries to get his breath back. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Lloyd, he..." Her little brother's explanation cuts off, the breath wheezing in his chest. He must have run back to their house, because his clothes are torn and grass-stained. "He's in the forest..."

"Calmly," she orders. "Take a breath."

He does, with some effort. "He fell in a ravine. I think... I think he might've broken something?"

 


	58. Day 58 - Heartfelt Apology

The night before they enter the Tower for the third and final time, Colette dreams.

Good dreams haven't been easy to come by since leaving Iselia, but this is one of the worst. She sees legions of angels advancing, Sheena falling first under the onslaught, an arrow in her throat. Regal follows soon after, then Presea, then Zelos.

Genis.

Raine.

Lloyd is the last one standing, still putting himself between her and their opponents as his blood mingles with the pools already on the floor. But he's trying to smile, to reassure her that it's going to be okay, he won't let anyone have her.

Distracted, he doesn't see it when Mithos appears behind him and impales him on the Eternal Sword. But Colette does, and her scream lodges in her throat. The scene blurs in front of her, and the next thing she knows, she's back in her bedroll, fighting to breathe through her tears.

"Colette--" Someone tugs at her arms roughly, and she struggles. "Colette, calm down, it's just me. It's Lloyd."

She freezes. "Lloyd...?" But he died. Everyone died. They didn't stop until she was the only one left.

A gloved hand--Lloyd's hand--ruffles her hair as he says 'yeah', and that's all it takes before her face is buried in his jacket, reassuring herself that it was a nightmare.

"I'm sorry," she cries, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...." _Sorry that you've had to go through so much for me, sorry that tomorrow you'll have to go through more. Sorry that there's so little I can do to help._

 


	59. Day 59 - Challenged

It isn't very long into their match before Zelos realizes that Seles is good. Too good, actually. She's throwing spells at him one after another, using her bag like a shield to buy time if he gets in close... and for the first time, there's nothing sickly about her. She's as healthy as he is.

Was she faking the last time he saw her? Or did something happen?

When he finally manages to knock her to the ground and rest his sword at her throat, it's because of luck as much as technique. She scowls at him, but grudgingly accepts the hand he offers, and he absently notes that even her grip is tighter than it used to be.

 


	60. Day 60 - Exhaustion

"I miss Iselia already," Genis mumbles dolefully as he drags his feet through the sand.

"Me too." Lloyd, being the taller of the two, is trying to protect the younger boy from the heat, but with only limited success. The sun and he are in an ongoing duel, and it appears to be on the winning end so far. "Dad's gonna be so mad when he finds out."

"It wasn't your fault. You can still go home after Colette's done regenerating the world," Genis points out. "I've got no idea what Raine's gonna want to do, though. Our house is one of the ones the Desians burned down, so we don't really have a place anymore."

 


	61. Day 61 - Accuracy

"You know, Colette, I've been wondering..."

Colette perks up, her guileless smile widening. "Yes?"

"What do you call those?" Sheena asks, pointing to the ornate golden hoops that the Chosen carries. "I've never seen them before."

"They didn't have chakram where you come from?" Colette asks, holding them out for the other girl to see.

"Nope. We have shuriken--throwing stars--but nothing like what you've got." Sheena takes note of the blade on the outer edge of the hoop--dull, but at the speed she's seen them thrown, how does Colette not cut herself? "They look pretty hard to use."

The Chosen grins bashfully. "Yeah, it was tough to learn, but I've been practicing with them for a long time."

 


	62. Day 62 - Irregular Orbit

"Martel protect us..." Jane breathes. "They're back again."

Yulia peeks towards the door, giggling at her coworker's mortification. "What's so bad about them? They pay their bill, and they're all really polite."

"But they always buy _so much._ And haven't you noticed their clothes? They can't be academy students."

"So?"

"So are we even supposed to be selling to them? This is the _academy's_ cafeteria, not a market stall. We could get in big trouble if one of the professors sees them walking out with food."

Yulia rolls her eyes and chuckles. "Nobody ever said that selling food was against the rules. If we're not supposed to let outsiders buy from us, maybe they shouldn't let outsiders just wander in."

 


	63. Day 63 - Cold Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU.

The child struggles when Dirk tries to pull him from his dead mother's arms, a thin reedy wail rising over the dog-creature's rippling growl. Small hands reach for the corpse, his cries turning insistent as he begins to realize that she won't protect him anymore.

The animal--dog--fights to rise, its hackles bristling at the sound of the toddler's voice. Its lips draw back in a snarl that builds into a sharp, warning bark, but its legs won't seem to support it.

It's a wonder either of them are still alive, after spending the night in icy rain. The dog's coat must have sheltered the boy somewhat, but being wet, it couldn't have provided much warmth. His ragged clothes are in a similar state.

 


	64. Day 64 - Frost

"What is it you want, Chosen One?" Kratos' tone is frigid and sharp, a nice change from the coolly superior one he normally uses. He's obviously annoyed, but whatever temper he has, he's keeping a tight lid on with Lloyd only a few feet ahead of them.

Zelos shrugs, his smile like sugared acid. "What makes you think I want anything?"

"You've been eyeing me ever since the Tower of Mana."

"Ha! You're kidding, right? I've got way better things to stare at than you--the wall's looking pretty good, for starters." Too bad Sheena's not here, he thinks ruefully, she'd make for much better scenery.

 


	65. Day 65 - A Moment in Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this post](https://yugyuumy.tumblr.com/post/158196604089/soulmate-au) on Tumblr.

Anna asks him once how long he had to wait before meeting her, and if she's surprised at hearing the exact number, she doesn't show it.

That must have been a shock as a kid, she says instead, laughing.

Both of them try not to think about the timers on the insides of their wrists, counting down from a new number since the day they met. With the exsphere on Anna's skin, they were expecting far less time. And it's long enough to start a family, it seems, even if it's not enough to raise one.

Five years isn't so little.

 


	66. Day 66 - Dangerous Territories

"You know, Lloyd," Zelos drawls, his arms behind his head as they walk, "you've been a really bad influence."

"How do you figure?" Lloyd asks warily.

"What do you mean? Before you guys showed up, I could go anywhere I wanted. Now, I'm outright banned from half of Tethe'alla's major cities, unless I wanna end up being charged with treason!"

"Hey, it's not like we forced you to come. You're the one who suggested coming along to keep an eye on us."

The Chosen snorts. "Yeah, 'cause you were the ones who said it'd be totally safe."

"Uh, that's actually not what we said."

 


	67. Day 67 - Boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU.

"What's your name?" Genis asks the next time he comes, as he digs around in his school bag for the sandwich he stashed at lunch.

The brown-haired boy hesitates for a moment. "...I don't know. The Desians call me A029, but the others mostly just call me 'kid'."

Genis wrinkles his nose. "Well, if you could pick anything, what would you like to be called?"

"I..." The boy glances at him uneasily through his ragged bangs. "I have this dream sometimes. There's a woman in it... and she always calls me Lloyd. I think maybe I'd like to be called that."

 


	68. Day 68 - Unsettling Revelations (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 4)

"Lloyd...?" Mithos whispers. The distant look in the mercenary's eyes frightens him--he's closed off, ice taking the place of sarcastic grins and needling comments. There are broad spans of light that stretch from his shoulder blades, flexing slowly as he gazes down at them. They're different from Remiel's, but it's no less clear what they are.

Wings. Lloyd is an angel.

"So you're one of them as well..." Kratos grunts. He's angry, Mithos can hear it in the subtle tones of his voice, but there's no surprise. He knew something wasn't right--or at least guessed it.

Mithos' hands clench into fists. He grits his teeth. "What are you doing? Why did you lie to us?"

"How have I lied to you?" Lloyd replies coldly. "The Chosen came on this journey to regenerate the world. If she becomes Raine's vessel, then the Goddess will awaken, and the world will be saved. That is what you wanted, isn't it?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw you realize that you mixed people's names up by accident


	69. Day 69 - Shattered

"Oh no!"

Colette's voice echoes down the hall a split second before the crash of something breaking. China, probably. Zelos hopes it wasn't anything too expensive. Not that he'd care all that much, but trying to convince the other Chosen that it isn't a big deal is already going to be hard enough.

"What am I going to do? I'm so clumsy..."

She just has a gift for breaking things. He can't complain--it's really come in handy a couple times. Besides, she's got a face nobody in their right mind could get mad at, with big puppy eyes to match.

 


	70. Day 70 - Bitter Silence

Of all the things Colette's lost by now, her voice is the worst. There are so many things she wants to say to Lloyd and the others. She wants to tell them to have good lives in the regenerated world, to maybe remember her every now and then.

Most of all, she wants to tell them that she's sorry for lying to them. It was her decision to keep the truth from them, but it doesn't stop the guilt. And in that case, maybe it's just as well that she can't speak--if she could, she might have confessed by now.


	71. Day 71 - The True You (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 5)

Some of Martel's earliest memories are of having her hair colored--her mother's fingers combing through the strands, turning them an ordinary mouse brown. She's never seen what color her hair is naturally, Mother says it's been dyed ever since she was born.

Nobody else in her family knows. She's been told never to mention anything about it to anyone, that nobody would understand if they knew her real heritage. To the world, she is the Chosen, born to regenerate the world and drive back the Desians. But she's not her parents' only child.

If they find out what she and her mother have been hiding, then they have no need to keep her.

 


	72. Day 72 - Pretense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after [chapter 53](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12395592/chapters/29611479).

"You know, we could've just camped out again," Lloyd points out as he trails behind Zelos, weaving through Meltokio's crowded streets.

"No way," the ex-Chosen scoffs. "I've had enough of dirt and being rained on for right now. And no offense, but you really need to learn how to cook something that isn't meat."

Lloyd rolls his eyes. "You just wanna see Seles, don't you."

The silence that follows would probably be really awkward if they weren't in the middle of a crowd.

"...What, are you kidding?"

Zelos laughs, waving the comment off but Lloyd knows him well enough by now to hear the nervousness in his voice. "She's probably not even here. And who could blame her, right?"


	73. Day 73 - Patience

"What _am_ I going to do with you, Lloyd?" Raine sighs.

The boy fidgets in his chair. "I'm sorry, Professor," he mumbles out of reflex. He knows what she's talking about, just like every other time she's asked him to stay after class.

"I know you are," she soothes. "It's just... I don't understand how you can recite all of your Dwarven Vows by heart and still be unable to do simple multiplication. And you excel at art, but history goes right over your head."

"Art's fun," Lloyd tells her with a shrug. Colette likes the things he makes for her in art class.

 


	74. Day 74 - Midnight

It's several nights into her newfound insomnia before Colette works up the courage to ask, "Is it okay if I sit with you?"

Kratos doesn't reply, but he does shift a little closer to Noishe, opening a space for her. Gratefully, she settles in the dirt beside him and pulls her knees up to her chin.

Long minutes go by before she starts to fidget.

"I think Noishe likes you," she comments, filling up a silence that now seems too heavy. "It's funny, he never really seemed to like anyone but Lloyd before."

"Yes. Lloyd told me something similar once."

 


	75. Day 75 - Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU-ish.

It's known among Meltokio's nobility that the Chosen's son never testified at the trial of his mother's murderer.

He hasn't been seen at all since before the 'incident'. His statement is on record, but the general opinion of local gossips is that somebody else wrote it for him. There have even been whispers that the shock drove him mad, and he was sent to Sybak for treatment.

They're not so wrong.

Several months pass before he reappears in the public eye, and in that time, he's lost all traces of childishness. He still smiles as wide as before, but there's a bitterness to it now. The budding charm of a year before has both bloomed and sharpened.

 


	76. Day 76 - Summer Haze

"Come on, kiddo. Daddy's waiting."

Despite Anna using her most coaxing voice, Lloyd still whines until she picks him up. At almost three, he's heavier than ever, and between him on one hip and a string of fish on the other arm, it's slow going back up the shore.

The heat doesn't help either. Growing up on Lake Sinoa, Anna saw a few hot summers, and plenty of humid ones, but this one feels worse than any of them. They're not far off the Ossa Trail, towards Izoold, and the winds are still bringing traces of the desert heat through the mountains.


	77. Day 77 - Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly different take on the traps during the final trip to the Tower.

"You're pathetic."

The voice falls like a whip, agonizingly familiar but filled with a venom that isn't. Kratos forces his head up, his limbs sluggish as he fights against the force pulling him down. "Anna...?"

"Pathetic," she repeats, icy scorn in her eyes. "It's no wonder you couldn't protect us. Four thousand years, and you still haven't changed a bit--a lap dog is all you've ever been. It's all you're good for."

 _Shut up!_ The monster below makes Lloyd's voice sound so angry that Kratos could almost believe it really is him. _She's lying, Kratos! Don't listen to her!_

 


	78. Day 78 - Change in the Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A possible ending to the events in chapter 38.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Lloyd's fever finally breaks.

Colette's heart leaps into her throat when she sees Kratos bow his head, and opens her mouth to speak, but he holds out a hand to silence her.

"It's alright," he tells her. "He's passed through the worst, it seems."

"And Genis? Professor Raine?"

He shakes his head. "Not yet, but if Lloyd has withstood the disease, then there is hope for them. There's still a chance that they may succumb, but their odds are considerably better."

"Thank goodness," Colette sighs. She tiptoes closer, resting a timid hand on the mercenary's shoulder. "Do you want me to watch them for a bit? I can, if you want to get some sleep."

 


	79. Day 79 - Illogical

Noishe is almost asleep in his shed when the scent comes to him. His ears perk, and he inhales deeply, no longer interested in rest.

He's here.

The arshis stumbles to his feet. The little one will be happy, he thinks--he was happy this afternoon, when he returned with the clinging scent of familiar mana on him. Now they can be a pack again.

Plaintive whimpers fill the yard as he calls out to his old master. _Welcome home! I missed you! Where have you been all this time?_

But there's no answer. For the first time in millenia, his master doesn't respond when he calls.

 


	80. Day 80 - Only Human

"I'm sorry, Colette..."

She doesn't reply. Her eyes are on him, but only because he's sitting right in front of her. Everything about her is way too still, and it's starting to get to him.

"I promised I was gonna protect you... but I guess I screwed that one up pretty good, huh? Like everything else I do." He sighs. "Even Kratos did a better job of it, and he was only there to make sure you died."

Still nothing.

"Colette, please say something. We're gonna get help for you, Sheena's taking us to a place she knows, but I need to know you're still in there."

 


	81. Day 81 - A Place to Belong

"I don't know why you bother with me," Anna sniffles once, late into the pregnancy. She's still so thin, making the curve of her belly even more pronounced as she curls, shivering, into a corner. "I c-can't even haul around a baby without breaking down."

"I'm partly to blame for that," Kratos points out, gently pulling her nervous fingers from picking at the edges of the exsphere. "I should have realized that forcing you onto a ship when you're in this condition was too much."

She laughs weakly. "You didn't force me anywhere, believe me. The further we can get from the ranches, the better.

 


	82. Day 82 - Advantage

"Hey, Lloyd?" Genis whispers, tugging at the older boy's jacket. "Didn't you notice something... kind of weird just now?"

"Weird? Like what?"

"That Katz told us last night that it was fifty gald to stay, but he never asked for payment. Not this morning, either."

"...Maybe he just forgot?" Lloyd offers with a weak shrug. "It doesn't really look like he gets much business."

"Or maybe he decided to give us a discount!" Colette suggests.

"Still seems kind of funny that he wouldn't say anything about it, though. And if he did forget, then we need to pay him before we get in trouble with the village."

 


	83. Day 83 - Breakfast

"I remember tomatoes for breakfast," Lloyd blurts.

Kratos shakes his head, covering any amusement at his son's non sequitur. The streets of Welgaia might not be the most appropriate place for this, but that's never stopped him before. "Yes. Anna was heartbroken when she realized that you hated them as much as I did. She swore that I had planned it."

Lloyd chuckles. "So she liked them?"

"That, and fish. She had a habit of only buying food that she liked." The same habit that he's noticed whenever Lloyd ends up buying their food. Fortunately, Raine is more often in charge of the party's resources, or they'd likely end up eating only meat.

 


	84. Day 84 - Echoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for amputation.

She can still feel her arm sometimes.

Kratos softly tells her that it's normal, after you've lost something. He's so tense, quiet like he was when they first met, and it's because of her. She knows she shouldn't have asked him to do what he did, but there didn't seem to be another option anymore. The exsphere was killing her slowly, and if Kvar's men had gotten their hands on it again...

At least now it's in pieces at the bottom of a cliff, where neither of them have to think about it again. They'll keep on the move like they've always been.

 


	85. Day 85 - Falling

"Daddy!"

Kratos hears the eager slap-slap of tiny feet on the floorboards as soon as the door clicks open, and braces himself for the impact of a toddler colliding with his legs. Ever since Lloyd learned how to walk, this has become his new favorite way of saying hello.

"Lloyd Irving!" Anna scolds from the other room, the words well-practiced by now. "You're going to hurt yourself running like that!"

As if on cue, the little boy explodes through the doorway, an excited grin on his face as he heads for Kratos. He only takes three steps before the predicted slip happens, sending him skidding to the floor with a yelp.

 


	86. Day 86 - Picking Up the Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place a little after chapter 69.

"I'm so sorry," the girl babbles again, the sixth time since he found her trying to clean up a mess of china shards, her fingers scratched and bleeding.

"It's nothing to worry about, Miss Brunel," Sebastian assures her. "This isn't the first plate that's been broken, and there will certainly be more after it. We have more than enough to spare."

"B-but I should have at least helped to clean it up..."

"Miss Brunel, that would be impolite--you are Master Zelos' guest. Now, if you'll allow me to see to your hands...?"

"My...?" She looks down, her expression almost surprised. "Oh, um... okay."

 


	87. Day 87 - Gunshot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU.

"How come you haven't got a mom?"

Lloyd shrugs, slurping noisily at his carton of milk. "Dad's not married. And my real mom was killed in a drive-by when I was little."

"That's horrible," Colette whispers. "But what about your real dad? Why aren't you with him?"

"I dunno. Nobody ever talks about him, and they'd never tell me anything when I asked, so I just kind of stopped asking. And now..." He rakes fingers through his hair, a bit of a blush rising to his cheeks. "Now I'm not even sure if I want to know about him anymore. I like it here."

 

 


	88. Day 88 - Possession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU.

" _My, that's a very nice necklace, Colette. I don't think I've ever seen one like it before._ "

" _Oh, this? Lloyd made it for me._ "

Lloyd sighs glumly, only half paying attention to the TV as the interview continues. "Now everyone's going to think we're dating," he mumbles.

"Well, look on the bright side," Genis tells him from the direction of the kitchen, "most of them already did."

Lloyd rolls his eyes. "Not helping, Genis." Flopping sideways, he stares up at the ceiling. "It's not like I can't handle the reporters showing up to ask what it's like being friends with a famous singer, but I'd rather not deal with all of her fans too. Half of them think I'm not good enough for her, and the other half think it's cute."

"Yeah, to be honest, I'm not sure which is scarier."


	89. Day 89 - Twilight

"Look, kiddo," Anna whispers to the sleepy toddler in her arms, pointing out a single point of light in the darkening sky. "See? It's the first star of the night."

"Actually, there's another one over there," Kratos tells her, motioning to another spark. "And if you look for a few moments, you'll probably find others. It's nearly impossible to find the first star on any given night."

"You're no fun," she pouts, teasing. "Here I am, trying to teach our son about the stars--a very important subject, I might add--and you're splitting hairs."

"I wouldn't dream of taking over a job you enjoy so much," he retorts dryly.

 


	90. Day 90 - Nowhere and Nothing

Yuan's stomach falls when he sees Kratos in Derris-Kharlan for the first time in five years.

The uniform is back in place, his back ramrod straight and no hesitation in his stride. But his gaze, when Yuan manages to catch it from across the bridge, is blank and soulless. It's a look the half-elf remembers from the war, in the eyes of young men who returned from their first battle covered in the blood of their friends. He hates it, knowing too well what it means.

There's only one reason that Kratos would return to Cruxis after all this time.

 


	91. Day 91 - Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU.

"C'mon, Colette, pick up already..." Lloyd mutters. A moment passes with no response, and he shoves his phone back into his pocket before getting into the car.

 

It's already been two hours since he realized Colette was missing, and he's checked everywhere in town that she might go. Her dad's house, pet shops, the humane society... He even asked Genis and Professor Raine, with no luck. Nobody's seen her.

 

After a few more laps around town, he finally has to call the search off and go home because it's starting to get dark. It's possible she made it back to her apartment on her own, anyway. Wouldn't that be just like her, getting him all worked up while she's sitting in her living room?

 

He makes it into his front hall, calling out to let his dad know that he's back, when his phone rings.

 

"Colette?" he yelps, barely managing to get it to his ear before answering.

 

" _Actually, it's Genis,_ " his friend tells him. " _But it's okay, I found her._ "

 

"Really? Where was she?"

 

" _I'm sorry, Lloyd,_ " Colette's voice cuts in, a little distant like she's talking over Genis' shoulder. " _I saw an ad in the paper for someone giving away puppies, and I didn't realize you were going to be coming over today._ "

 

"...How come you didn't answer my calls?"

 

" _I, um... I actually left my phone at home by accident._ "

 

 


	92. Day 92 - Innocence (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 6)

"He shouldn't even be on this journey," Yuan mutters, glancing towards the sleeping Mithos in his bedroll. "We should have found someone in Triet who would take him back to Iselia."

"It's too late for that now, and you know it," Martel retorts.

"He's a child, Martel--he won't last a week out here."

"And how would he have been safer there? The Desians already broke the non-aggression treaty. At least here, he has the three of us."

"You're forgetting, Yuan, that the descendants of the mana lineage are not helpless, whatever they may look like," Kratos mutters. "Mithos is a swordsman in his own right, albeit an inexperienced one. And Martel has a point--if we were going to return him, we should have done it before we left Triet."

 


	93. Day 93 - Simplicity

"I can't believe you got me a ring," Anna breathes as she admires the little band on her finger. It's plain, just a smooth loop of brass, but it's also the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

Engagements in Luin are modest, limited to an informal announcement and an exchange of mementos to mark the occasion. Little things like unusual stones or a little bit of carving are the most common. She's heard that in Palmacosta, girls are given expensive rings of gold instead, but to be honest, she hadn't expected anything at all when she got engaged. There didn't seem to be much point.

 


	94. Day 94 - Reality (Mirrorverse AU Pt. 7)

"It's okay, Martel," Mithos whispers, his fingers carding through her hair, mimicking what she's always done to soothe him. It's useless now, without her sense of touch, but she smiles and leans back into it anyway. "Lloyd said that when you become an angel, everything will come back, right? We just have to wait until tomorrow."

She forces herself to nod, thanking the Goddess for her lack of tears. He doesn't know what's going to happen tomorrow, she tells herself, and it's better that way. How could she force him to choose between her and the world, knowing that one would destroy him and the other condemn him?

 


	95. Day 95 - Acceptance

"Here," Lloyd mumbles, pressing something small into Kratos' hand.

The angel lifts the necklace by its cord, examining the slightly misshapen brass star dangling from it. "You made this?" he guesses.

"Yeah, when I was thirteen. It was Colette's, but she gave it back to me a few weeks ago, since she's got the one I put her key crest in." Lloyd scuffs his foot in the dirt. "She said I could keep this one to remember her by, but..."

"But?"

"I figured if you're not... If you're not coming back any time soon, I thought you could have it instead. I mean, you gave me your locket, so it's only fair, right?"

 


	96. Day 96 - Lesson

"Learning to become a summoner requires a certain amount of elven blood, correct?"

Sheena blinks, caught off guard by the question. "Yeah, that's right. I've only got a little bit, but it's enough to let me make pacts." She pauses. "...So why do you ask?"

"I thought perhaps you could teach me how it works?"

"You want to be a summoner, Raine?"

The half-elf's eyes widen. "W-well, that's not quite what I meant! It's just that the mechanics are fascinating, and it's been a lost art in Sylvarant for some time now... I thought it might help shed some light on other things."

 


	97. Day 97 - Enthusiasm

It looks as if Colette is having fun, Zelos thinks as he watches the shadow fragments crowd around her feet like puppies. They've been following her eagerly, sticking close by as she leads them down to the seal.

"Hey, you're a natural," he tells her as he sidesteps a straggler. "Maybe you can be our summon spirit wrangler from now on."

She giggles softly. "Oh no, Sheena's way better at it."

"Don't sell yourself short, Colette," Sheena says, falling into step on the Chosen's other side. "I might have the training, but there's no way I'd ever get them to follow me around like that."

 


	98. Day 98 - Game

"...Do I wanna know what you and the brat are doing?"

Colette whirls around, her arms still raised in a strange, mute celebration. "Oh! We're playing a game that one of the Katz taught us!"

"Talking to the pervert only encourages him, Colette..." Genis mutters from behind her.

Zelos directs the most patronizing smile he can at the little half-elf. "I'll have you know that your sister is threatening to withold future treatment if I don't play nice for the day, so you're stuck with me from here on out."

"Really?" Colette exclaims. "That's great! Do you want to play with us, then?"

 


	99. Day 99 - Friendship

"Try and sit for me, it's okay..." Colette murmurs. The whine that Lloyd releases as she helps him up makes her stomach twist, but she shoves it down and feeds him another cup of hot tea. Behind her, Kratos is doing the same with Genis. It's never going to stop shocking her how tiny the elf is in the mercenary's arms, curled sick and shaking with chills.

Chapped lips part, Lloyd's tongue running over them as he breathes, "Sh-- shouldn't be doing this for me... You'll get sick too...."

"Ssshh, I said it's okay... Dwarven Vow number two, remember? Never abandon someone in need."

It's worth running the risk of botching his precious vows to see the little half-smile that it gets her. "Y-yeah... But you take care of you too, okay...?"

She nods. "I will."

 


	100. Day 100 - Endings

"So I guess we're not gonna see much of each other anymore, huh?"

Lloyd cocks his head. "...You could come with me to collect exspheres, if that's a problem? I didn't think it bothered you that much."

"Thanks all the same," Zelos laughs, "but I think I'll pass on being the third wheel. I meant the collective 'we', as in everybody. You guys all have your own things you're gonna be doing from now on, and I'm gonna be busy for probably a long time to come, so..."

"So, what? You think we're just gonna forget about each other or something?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left comments/kudos, or bookmarked!


End file.
